


Déjà vu

by owlpockets



Series: Déjà vu [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-22
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2017-11-12 16:39:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/493422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlpockets/pseuds/owlpockets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha and Pepper secretly pine for each other's company. Neither of them know what to do with their feelings, and navigating everyday life becomes harder after the universe suddenly gets a whole lot bigger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write this story for a while and half of me is too excited to actually know what to do with it. Bear with me while I figure it out? Special thanks to Jarvi for story suggestions and letting me ramble on and on about Natasha/Pepper things. Soundtrack coming soon!

“You’re late.” Clint glared at her accusingly, and flung a few kernels of popcorn at her face. Natasha dodged before the greasy projectiles got caught in her hair.

“Oh, please. One minute and fifty-three seconds is not late for a stakeout.”

“Yeah, but you missed the beginning of the movie.”

Natasha settled in the empty lawn chair next to Clint, popping her earpiece in and drawing out her binoculars from one of her many belt pouches. “What are we watching?”

“ _Inglourious Basterds_. Top right window, with the fifty-inch plasma. I brought snacks.”

“Great. I never did get to see that in the theater.” Natasha adjusted the volume on her earpiece, tuning into the movie through the bugs SHIELD had set throughout the penthouse the previous week while the owner was on a business trip. The sound was a bit tinny, but clear enough to hear all the dialogue. She wished the TV was not angled slightly away from their line of sight, but she couldn’t complain too much about a free movie.

“At least our friend over there has good taste in movies. He could be watching really disgusting, violent—”

“Don’t. Don't remind me. I thought we agreed never to talk about that.” She was tempted to hit him, but if then she would have to do the stakeout alone. Lately, Natasha was less good at doing things alone. Or, rather, she was just as good as doing things, but not quite as good at being alone. 

Clint chuckled and adjusted his binoculars. “I still have nightmares about that job sometimes.”

As did Natasha, but she decided keep that to herself. She waited, watching silently, until it seemed probable that Clint was dwelling on things best forgotten. “How was New Mexico?”

“Balls. I hate dry heat. Had to spend five days with a bunch of Coulson clones guarding the fucking hammer of the gods or some shit. Then this giant blonde psychopath broke in and there was a flaming robot from space. And I didn’t even get a bonus. How come you get to go to Malibu and I get stuck with missions in Bufu, Nowheresville, huh?”

Natasha shrugged and answered around a mouthful of popcorn, “I have tits.”

“No fair.” Clint handed over the ubiquitous Gatorade and a straw; Natasha was sick of the stuff, but he refused to bring anything else on missions. “So did you sleep with him?”

“…Who?”

“Stark. Was it terrible or marginally tolerable? Deets!”

“What? _No._ ” This time, Natasha did hit him, but only lightly on the arm. “Actually, we didn’t end up spending much time together. He’s kind of weird and antisocial in person.”

“Really? Damn, he was one of my five. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter, I’m not going for personality, just looks and/or money.”

“Dare I ask who the other four are?”

Clint answered without hesitation. “Will Smith, Billy Ray Cyrus, Daniel Craig, and Legolas.”

“…Yeah, didn’t want to know after all.” Admittedly, she thought Daniel Craig was not a bad answer, but the rest seemed a hodge-podge of oddities. “Billy Ray Cyrus? Really? I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised.”

Clint turned to her and grinned lasciviously, wiggling his eyebrows. “Hey, it was the nineties. Don’t tell me you don’t have some ridiculous leftover nineties crush.”

“No, I do not. Watch the movie.” Natasha sniffed delicately. Of course, she actually did, but on principle she guarded that secret with her life.

“Aw, you’re no fun. Okay, then you have to tell me the five people _you_ would go gay for. It’s only fair.” Clint had apparently given up on the movie for the time being and was turned sideways in his chair, arms draped over the armrest and staring at her expectantly.

Natasha sighed. “Fine.” She stopped and considered how exactly how to answer. “Noomi Rapace, Beyonce, Milla Jovovich….and….Lucy Lawless….”

“Milla Jovovich, nice. But that was only four, cheater.”

Natasha pretended not to have noticed, keeping her binoculars fixed firmly in front of her face and her expression cool. She hadn’t exactly meant to trail off, but the fifth name on that list tripped up her tongue unexpectedly and now wouldn’t leave her head. “Hmm? Was it?”

“It totally was.” Clint sounded suspicious, and that usually led to wheedling, whittling down of her patience until she lost her composure and threw the answer in his face just so he would shut up. It was probably her least favorite thing about him. If she ignored him, the problem would only compound. Natasha knew this and she had to fight hard to keep a red flush from creeping up her neck.

“Wait a minute, is it someone you know? Is it someone _I_ know?” Clint’s eyes were practically bugging out he was so intent on staring her down. Natasha held her ground.

“It totally fucking is!”

Natasha finally put down her binoculars and pinned him with a withering look. “No one you know.”

Her glare didn’t deter Clint’s enthusiasm. “Then it’s someone I know of. Come on, I promise I won’t tell. Did you meet some hot blonde society girl in Malibu? No tan lines in a bikini?”

Wrong on almost all descriptors—Clint had almost no imagination when it came to fantasy women from California—but he did get the Malibu part right. “More like strawberry blonde. And I doubt she owns a bikini.”

Clint looked a mixture of mildly scandalized and intrigued. “What’s the point of living in Malibu and not owning a bikini?”

“Oh, please. It’s not a state law. Some people don’t like them.”

“Now you’re trying to distract me, stop it.” Clint made an exaggerated frown. “I said I wouldn’t tell.”

“Virginia Potts, CEO of Stark Industries.” Natasha didn’t feel any better for airing her secrets, but at least it would stop Clint from pestering her for days.

Clint’s eyebrows shot up. “Wasn’t expecting that. Aren’t her and Stark, like, a thing?”

Natasha shrugged. She had put that little detail out of her mind to keep from thinking too hard about what might have been. “Looks that way. Weren’t we playing a game anyway? It’s just a celebrity crush.”

“Right. Hey, we’re missing the movie.” Clint didn’t look entirely convinced. He would be right in thinking Natasha had harbored more than a passing fancy for Miss Potts, of course, but Natasha wasn’t willing to consider it even a remote possibility.

__

“Well well well, I always knew I was a bad influence on you. Only a matter of time before you snapped and ended up on CEOs Gone Wild.”

“Oh god, shut up.” Pepper didn’t want to open her eyes. Probably couldn’t open her eyes, considering how much it felt like her face was put on wrong. The words sounded like they were coming through water. Something was burning her cheek, probably the rug where she had fallen over.

“You’re in my spot.”

Pepper rolled onto her back and immediately regretted doing so. Even with her eyes closed the world was swimming, or perhaps it was just her brain swirling around in her skull. Either way, it was supremely unpleasant and she wished she could go back to being unconscious. “ _Go away_.”

Tony was persistent, in fact he was probably enjoying this way more than was strictly decent, Pepper realized. “No, really, that’s where I like to pass out in a drunken stupor. It’s a good spot. That table blocks the morning sun very effectively.”

“Go die in a fire.” Pepper groped at the coffee table for a book and threw it at him, but with the screaming in her arm muscles it was a weak shot and landed several feet short.

“Someone’s in a bad mood. Hey, I made coffee and I’ll even give you some if you tell my why you were getting shipwrecked at a dive bar last night.” There was a quiet shuffling and Pepper sensed Tony standing dangerously close. Dangerous for him, at least. At this distance she couldn’t possibly miss, even with poor aim. 

Pepper finally peeled her eyelids open and squinted up at Tony. He wasn’t lying about the coffee—there were two large white mugs held in his hands. And despite the relentless teasing, he did look concerned. “Okay,” Pepper mumbled, and tried to straighten out her clothing as she struggled upright. The room tilted momentarily in her blurry vision. Oh lord, she hadn’t even taken off her shoes before she passed out.

A pathetic groan escaped Pepper’s lips and she squeezed her temples with the hand that wasn’t bracing her upper body. “I haven’t been this hung over since college,” she admitted, embarrassed.

Tony snorted in amusement. “That’s impressive restraint, it’s at least once a month for me.” Since Pepper was obviously not getting up anytime soon, he settled on the floor next to her, handing over one the mugs.

“Thanks.” Pepper arranged her legs into a more modest position and took a careful sip. Though she normally preferred a little flavoring in her coffee, the stuff in the cup was strong and unadorned and she was pretty sure her stomach couldn’t handle any sort of sweetness anyway. The steam felt good against her face so she held it against her mouth for a moment.

“So you want to tell me what’s going on? I definitely can’t judge, but this doesn’t seem like you.”

Pepper angled her head to see Tony, though carefully to avoid her brains sloshing out either ear, which seemed a distinct possibility despite all logic. He was still in pajamas and a robe, barefoot and sitting cross-legged. He was clearly amused, but also the underlying worry was also visible in the lines around his eyes and mouth. Pepper loved him so much in that moment, but she also realized quite suddenly that he was the reason she had been out getting blackout drunk in a place she would normally never be seen anywhere near. Where their friendship had been a good balance, as a couple they were so unhealthy she wondered how she hadn’t seen it sooner.

“I never go out anymore, you know that? I’m always working. I don’t see anyone I know outside of work except for you and Happy. You know my roommate from college had a baby last month and I didn’t even realize until yesterday? This is so, so wrong.” Pepper let her words come out in a rush, because if she thought about it at all she would never have the guts to say it. “I can’t do this anymore.”

Tony didn’t look particularly surprised and Pepper almost took it all back. “What do you want to do?”

“I…I don’t know,” Pepper deflated and was suddenly hesitant. “I think…we need a break. I need some time to myself, maybe visit some people. Otherwise I might snap and kill one or both of us.”

“You can quit, if you want. I won’t try to stop you this time.”

“No, I’m not going to quit. I still want to be your friend, Tony. And I like my job. But this…all this…never having friends, never having fun—I’m frustrated and angry most of the time. I don’t want us to end up hating each other.” Pepper’s resolve was slowly firming up. Things made a little more sense now that she had some caffeine in her system. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s where this is going right now.”

Tony nodded slightly, contemplative and maybe a little sad. “Do you miss Natalie?” He corrected himself almost immediately. “Natasha…whatever.”

For all the times Tony completely ignored some important detail of her life, every once in a while he could be startlingly observant. Pepper often wondered if all the rest were just affectations, but she never could figure it out completely. “Things seemed a lot easier when she was here, yes. I really do. It was nice to have a female friend. That’s what I’m telling you, I need to have friends and do regular person things.”

“Yeah, I get it, Pep.” Tony leaned to the side and nudged her with his elbow. “Thanks for being honest.”

Pepper gave him a watery smile and dropped her head to his shoulder. She felt lighter, if a bit unhappy. Things would look less dire once the hangover was gone. “I might have thrown up in Happy’s car.”

Tony gave a startled laugh. He tentatively wrapped his fingers around hers, only tightening his grip a bit when she squeezed back. “Don’t worry, he’s used to it.”


	2. Chapter 2

Alien armies. Okay. Natasha was not the type of woman to freak out over…well, anything really, but she was honestly freaking out a little bit over this. There was no point in denying it to herself, though outwardly she betrayed nothing but a slight twitch in her brow. Clint had blown a gasket almost as soon as he’d woken up the morning after, barging into her room at SHIELD. Natasha had almost shot him, partly out of instinct and partly out of anger at being woken up before she was ready. Some unfortunate kid had trailed behind and hovered near the door, probably his assigned watchdog until Fury was sure Clint wasn’t going to flip unexpectedly again.

Now, the old routine was settling over them again like a blanket, a thick, smothering blanket. Natasha was dreadfully bored, though she also wasn’t sure if she wanted the aliens back either. Something in between would be nice. A nominally violent political espionage mission in a warmer clime would be perfect. Somewhere she could wear that new yellow sundress she’d bought and had high hopes for right before getting shipped off to the Mother Country just as this whole tesseract disaster had started.

Their morning debriefing was longer than usual, but it was the same old rehash from every meeting since the portal was closed. Mostly, Hill talked about how cleanup was going in New York (tedious) or progress on Bifrost research (none) or how many days it had been since there had been a Hulk incident (variable). Clint was trying to amuse them both by doodling scenes from the Chitauri battle on his battered yellow notepad. Steve was surreptitiously watching across the table whenever Hill turned her back to point out something specific on the screen. He was hiding his smile pretty well, but not well enough for Natasha to miss. She sipped her coffee and watched the room with a perfectly bland expression.

Fury had been suspiciously absent from these meetings since the end of the battle, Natasha noted, though she had seen him a couple of times in the hall. Whatever he was doing, she was still too mad at him about how he had handled the entire alien contact issue to care.

“And finally, the Hulk report for this week,” Hill paused and sighed as she flipped over her notes. “…Zero days without incident. No causalities, injuries limited to Stark and Miss Potts, but minor. Apparently, Dr. Banner does not approve of…Glenn Beck.”

Clint stopped drawing and shot Natasha a look that said he was about to explode for trying to keep his tongue reigned in. She stomped on his foot under the table. Steve looked perplexed. Natasha quietly started to worry.

Hill took a deep breath, looking like she was seriously considering jumping out the window. “All agents are advised to remember that political discussion is NOT allowed among SHIELD employees while on duty, amended to include on and off duty when Dr. Banner is present. Thank you.”

Tight-lipped, Hill gathered her things and left the room without so much as a simple goodbye. Natasha, Clint, Steve, and the four other field agents tracked her with their eyes.

“What’s her deal?” Clint asked as soon as the door closed behind Hill.

“Beats me,” Sitwell answered. “She’s been off lately.”

“We’ve all been a little off lately,” Natasha countered. She hadn’t meant to snap, but the reason was glaringly obvious and had little to do with aliens. The empty chairs at the meeting table hadn’t been filled since before the attack.

Clint looked appropriately cowed and the other agents looked uncomfortable. All except Steve, bless him, he looked sad and sympathetic. And he hadn’t even known any of the people that filled those chairs except Coulson, and even then only a little bit. Natasha knew they were all dealing with the loss of so many at once in their own ways, mostly by unhealthy repression, but she was feeling predatory and patently too old for this macho bullshit in her idleness.

“Yeah, well….” Sitwell shifted in his seat and then gave up and headed for the door. “See you guys later.”

The three other field agents followed with varying degrees of murmured goodbyes. Clint folded his arms on the table and put his head down. “Who wants a vacation, raise your hand,” he said into the notepad and blindly raised an arm.

“Natasha, what does it mean when my phone makes that little bell noise once? I tried answering but nothing happened?” Steve held out his SHIELD special issue Blackberry across to her, which said it had “42 New Messages” on the screen. She tried very hard not to laugh at him.

Natasha took the phone and pressed the view button, feeling a little guilty for prying, but it was too tempting to pass up. “It means you have a text message, not a call. You have forty-two of them that you haven’t read yet. And they all appear to be from Stark.”

Clint immediately perked up. “What? He never texts me, that jerk. Does he text you?”

“Sometimes,” Natasha admitted and Clint made a face. “Did you even give him your phone number?”

“Irrelevant, he could get it if he wanted it.” Clint actually looked like he was genuinely disappointed. Natasha couldn’t help but sympathize a bit.

She scrolled down; most of the messages appeared to be jokes about Steve’s uniform or total non-sequiturs. One was about…moving in? Natasha clicked on that one to read the rest. “He asked you to move into the tower with him and Bruce?”

“Oh! Yeah, I was going to tell you both about that. Tony actually asked me if I would extend the offer to you and Clint also now that all the damage is repaired.” Steve gave a little hopeful smile that spoke volumes to how much better he was feeling about 2012 now that he had friends. Natasha kind of wanted to pet his hair.

Natasha could feel Clint startle slightly next to her. “I’m in!” he said immediately. “That place is fucking sweet and I’m tired of the nuggets following me around all the time. Feel like a prisoner in my own damn room.”

While Natasha had her own apartment and only stayed at SHIELD occasionally, the idea was rather appealing and infinitely cheaper than continuing to pay rent on her tiny studio. Her time in Malibu hadn’t exactly endeared her to Tony’s habits, but she loved his house and had spent more time there than was strictly necessary for the job. Plus, Pepper would be around, and that had it’s own appeal in several ways. “I’m also interested. Do you know what sort of living arrangement it would be?”

“From my understanding he’s offering us each our own floor,” Steve answered, a note of awe in his voice. “No rent, either. He’s being very generous.”

Natasha couldn't help but snort in amusement. “It’s not generosity, Steve. Tony has so much money that it’s lost all meaning for him. A few thousand each month from us would barely register as pocket change for him.”

Steve didn’t seem convinced, but then he wouldn’t understand. He hadn’t spent enough time around Tony yet. “Okay, I’ll accept the offer for all of us. Fury already said it was fine.”

Clint raised an eyebrow. “Even for me?”

“He probably figures Dr. Banner will take you out if you try anything funny.” Natasha could see Clint pale out of the corner of her eye and a hint of a grin flickered over her lips.

She moved around the table and leaned over Steve’s shoulder with his phone to show him how to look at his messages. “If you press this button here you can scroll down. Then press it again to view the message. Press this one to reply and type down here.” She didn’t think that was going to work out very well, the buttons were really too small for Steve’s fingers.

The phone dinged again, and a new message popped up while she watched him attempt to scroll without much success. “Oh, it’s from Tony.” After some careful aiming, Steve managed to hit the right button and he frowned. “Agent Hill didn’t mention they were in medical.”

“What?” Natasha said more sharply than she intended. The message read, _Shield docs are needle-happy. Out now, waiting for Pepper. Move in tomorrow?_

Natasha wanted to be mad at Hill for neglecting such an important detail, but stress made people forgetful, even those as efficient as Fury’s right-hand woman, and she tamped it down. Steve was making a valiant attempt at a reply, but was thwarted by his broad thumbs and autocorrect. Frustrated, he shoved the phone back in his pocket. “We should probably go down and make sure everything is alright.”

Nodding, Natasha gathered her things and headed for the door with Clint and Steve trailing behind. Medical was only one deck below them, but with structural repairs still being made on the Helicarrier, they had to take a roundabout route. Nobody really felt like making small talk on the way, and that was just as well for Natasha.

There was not much a waiting room—a few chairs bolted to the floor lining the wall and a nearly empty vending machine—but at least the area hadn’t sustained any damage. Tony was slouched in one of the chairs, one of those tiny tablet-like devices Natasha was never sure what to call in his hand. The other hand was in a brace and he had a black eye, but was otherwise satisfactorily whole. Clint waved in greeting and went to the vending machine, jingling a handful of coins while he tried to decide on a snack.

“Cap, do you ever answer your messages? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all morning.” Tony was amused rather than accusatory, but Steve still looked somewhat sheepish.

“Natasha tried to help me with the phone, but the buttons are too small,” he replied.

“Sad truth. I watched,” Natasha confirmed. “Admittedly the buttons on the SHIELD phones are almost too small for a child, though.”

“Is that supposed to be some discreet spy thing, like enemy agents can’t possibly use your phone because it’s designed for mice? Or are your tech guys just idiots?”

“Both,” Clint chimed in. He had a bag of BLT-flavored Lay’s potato chips. Natasha wondered about his life choices.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Figures. Look, I’ll get you all new phones tomorrow. Use those as decoys or paperweights or whatever.”

“How’s Pepper?” Steve asked, and settled into one of the other chairs. “And what happened to Dr. Banner?”

“I think not bad. She took a harder hit than I did, so I guess that’s why it’s taking so long.” Tony looked mildly worried, but was hiding it decently well. Natasha knew him well enough to see right through it, though. “I don’t know about Bruce, he disappeared as soon as he changed back.”

“We probably have agents out looking for him,” Natasha said. Not exactly the outcome any of them would have preferred, but it was a difficult situation. And she admitted privately that she was a tiny bit mad at him for losing control with Pepper and Tony in the room.

“Yeah…” Tony looked like he didn’t want to talk about it, and Natasha decided not to voice any of the concerns swirling around in her head for the time being.

“Hey, guess what! Me and Nat are moving in too.” Trust Clint to find the most abrupt way to change the subject ever. It was effective, though. He was grinning like his birthday had come unexpectedly early.

Natasha struggled to hide her own faint smile at Clint’s enthusiasm. “Tomorrow is fine. Though I will need a moving truck to pick up my things at my apartment.”

“You have a…. Tomorrow? How did you…?” Tony looked a little mystified, but also suddenly brighter. “Sure, fine. Send me your address and there will be one waiting in the morning.”

“It’s not a sneaky spy thing, I read Steve’s messages.” Natasha noticed the shift change out of the corner of her eye and saw a chance to find out Pepper’s status. The previous nurse was an old hardass that she knew enforced a strict no unnecessary visitation policy, but the new one was a younger, more impressionable woman that Natasha didn’t recognize. “I’m going to see if I can find out how much longer we have to wait,” she said quietly and slipped away.

Clint mouthed “good luck” at her as she left; what was _that_ supposed to mean? Natasha was going to see how her friend was doing in the hospital, it had nothing to do with secret crushes. She stopped at the reception desk and stared down at the young nurse until the woman looked up, suddenly looking alarmed under Natasha’s scrutiny.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” the nurse asked, wavering around timid, but making a valiant effort. New recruit, then.

“I’ve been sent to debrief Virginia Potts. She was admitted earlier this morning.” Natasha felt slightly guilty about appropriating one of Coulson’s tactics, but it was effective.

“Yes, of course. Right this way.” The nurse—Samson, by her nametag—picked up a patient folder and motioned for Natasha to follow her down one of the corridors. “Miss Potts has minor injuries, we were only keeping her for observation for a few hours until we were sure she did not have internal injuries we may have missed on the initial tests.”

Natasha said nothing, but nodded. They stopped in front of one of the endless impersonal chrome doors. They hadn’t even bothered to put a name in the slot outside, which was a good sign. Nurse Samson opened the door and put the folder in its holder on the outside wall. She smiled and gestured for Natasha to enter. “I’m going to check with the doctor now, but I think Miss Potts will be free to leave as soon as you’re finished.”

“Thank you,” Natasha said, and didn’t wait to see the nurse leave before entering the room. “Miss Potts?” she called quietly through the white curtain, not wanting to wake Pepper if she had decided to nap while she waited.

“Yes? I’m here,” came the answer. “And you better damn well be here to get me discharged because I have had it. Had. It.” The curtain jerked open to reveal a very battered looking Pepper, including a neck brace. Her hair was hanging limp and dusty, and there was a short cast on her left leg. Overall, she looked better than Natasha was expecting, for all Tony was silently freaking out in the waiting room, and that was a relief.

She looked surprised when she saw Natasha, her mouth a perfect O. “Oh, Natasha. I was expecting another useless nurse. Please call me Pepper, by the way. You’re not my PA anymore...though I guess you never really were in the first place.”

“Okay, Pepper.” Natasha gave her a half smile. “Officially, I’m here to debrief you on the Hulk incident.”

When Pepper gave her a flat look, Natasha cracked. “Actually, I’m here to bust you out. Everyone’s waiting in the lobby.”

“Everyone?” Pepper looked mildly surprised.

“Well, not Dr. Banner,” Natasha conceded. “But the rest. The nurse said you would probably be allowed to leave very soon.”

Pepper sighed. “Can’t we sneak out the back way? I can’t stand any more hovering today. Tony will hover.”

“Steve hovers without even meaning to.” Instead of continuing to lurk in the doorway, Natasha took a seat in the lone chair by the bed, leaning forward with her elbows on her legs. “Clint does it without anyone noticing, at least.”

Pepper actually laughed, though she still looked miserable. “I can’t stand it anymore. Tony is so paranoid about everything lately. He never leaves me alone, even when we’re on opposite coasts. I think it was a mistake getting back together with him.” Immediately Pepper looked like she was surprised at what she had just said. Then she looked slightly horrified, and finally thoughtful.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say a word,” Natasha assured her. Her expression was neutral, mostly because she wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about Pepper’s confession. Probably there wasn’t much conviction behind it, she decided.

“Oh, ugh. That’s probably just the drugs talking anyway. They gave me something pretty strong. I don’t know what I’m saying,” Pepper ended with a bizarre giggle that sounded like she tried to stop it and only half-succeeded. “Can we go home now?”

“As soon as the doctor comes back,” Natasha answered soothingly. “We’re moving into the tower tomorrow. Steve and Clint and I.”

“That’s good. There’s more space than we know what to do with. I think it’ll be good for Tony to have a lot of people around.”

“What about you? Will you like having us around?” Natasha didn’t really expect her to answer honestly if she wasn’t on board with the idea, but she felt she needed to make it known that someone was remembering to think about what Pepper wanted.

Pepper hesitated, and Natasha interpreted that to mean she had some reservations about the whole thing. She couldn’t blame her—suddenly having monsters, superheroes, and spies as neighbors was probably a bit frightening. Pepper was one of the bravest civilians Natasha knew, but that didn’t mean she was any less human.

“I think it’ll be nice,” Pepper said diplomatically.

The doctor returned at that moment, before Pepper could finish what she was going to say. Natasha moved out of the way, standing on the other side of the bed. The doctor was a middle-aged woman with ordinary features, exactly the type of person SHIELD preferred. Her nametag was obscured by the lapel of her lab coat, a poor state of uniform which was irksome to Natasha. She spent the next several seconds trying to deduce the name from the first two letters while the doctor looked over Pepper’s chart.

“Well, Miss Potts, it looks like you don’t have any internal damage or head injuries aside from the minor concussion. We’ve sent your records to your regular physician. Of course, the usual protocols apply. Do you need to review them before you leave?”

“No, thank you. I’ve been through this too many times already,” Pepper answered. The long-suffering expression on her face amused Natasha. Tony must be quite a handful to deal with all day, every day.

“Seeing as you have an escort already, you’re free to go Miss Potts. Our receptionist has made a follow-up appointment for you.” With a mild smile, the doctor gathered up her files and left after handing Pepper a few sheets of instruction.

“Okay…I think I’m going to need some help getting dressed, if you wouldn’t mind.” Pepper pointed to the small cabinet in the corner as she moved to swing her legs carefully over the edge of the bed. “My clothes are in there.”

Pepper’s shirt and pants were casual, but Natasha could feel the quality the second she touched them, though they hadn’t survived the accident unscathed. Nothing about this surprised her; she realized that she had never seen Pepper in anything but a state of elegant perfection before this moment. She liked it—the frumpy hospital gown, the dirty hair, the lack of make-up. But instead, Natasha said, “You’ll be happy to get home and clean up, I bet.”

Pepper had managed to remove her gown and was sitting, thin and hunched, in her underwear. “Mostly I just want to collapse in bed for the rest of the day. I’m exhausted.”

“That’s probably the adrenaline crash. You’ll feel better later.” Natasha shook out the white top and held out one side for Pepper to slip her arm through. Without too much trouble they were able to get the shirt on her.

Pepper eyed her cast dubiously. “Pants are going to be a problem.”

The pair of black skinny jeans in her hands looked like they would barely fit a twig, let along stretch over the hard cast. “Yes….” Natasha pulled a small knife from her belt and held it up for Pepper’s approval.

“Oh…that’s a shame. I liked those,” Pepper grimaced and nodded after a moment’s hesitation. “Okay, do it. I’ll just have to get a new pair next time I’m in Paris.”

Natasha made a slit from the knee down in one clean cut. She knelt down to start getting them over the cast, but a glance at Pepper caused her to pause. Pepper had ducked her head down as much as the brace would let her, eyes closed and hair hanging in a bright curtain on both sides of her face. “Pepper?” Natasha said softly.

“How do you deal with all of this? Tony seems to be taking it in stride, but I just…it’s absurd. I have to cut up my favorite pants to fit over a cast I got in a super secret spy hospital because I was attacked by a…a...” Pepper trailed off. For a fraction of a second she looked like she was about to cry, but took a deep breath instead. “So many people died. And there are aliens. The universe suddenly got a lot bigger, didn’t it?”

Natasha sat back on her heels and waited for Pepper to finish. The situation had hit her and she needed to vent or explode. “Yes, it really did. Everyone is in shock.”

“Are you?” Pepper asked earnestly.

Natasha looked away and returned to her task of squeezing Pepper’s cast through her jeans. It was absurd, that was precisely the word. Absurd in all the worst ways. “I am,” she answered quietly.

“I’m glad someone is willing to admit it. Sometimes I think I’m the crazy one.” Pepper stepped into the other leg and stood, using Natasha’s shoulders to balance awkwardly until she was decently dressed. 

“Being around these guys too much will do that to you.” Natasha offered a small smile. “You’re welcome in my apartment any time you want to talk. Or just need a change of scenery.”

Pepper smiled back, looking slightly less distressed, if not less exhausted. “Thank you, I’m sure I’ll be taking you up on that.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Clint move in to Stark Tower. Pepper learns some surprising things about her new neighbors, but mostly she just wants to lay down in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the awesome art for this chapter by Imagin-Aries [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/868407)!!
> 
> Soo... Sorry to whoever is subscribed to this thing about taking forever to post a new chapter. I have a lot of plans for this story, but haven't had a lot of time to write long things lately! I also have the soundtrack I promised ages ago, which is available on 8tracks [here](http://8tracks.com/owlpockets/deja-vu).
> 
> Songs:  
> 01 The Strokes - Last Night  
> 02 Lana Del Rey - Kinda Outta Luck  
> 03 Elastica - All Nighter  
> 04 Beyonce ft. Jay-Z - Deja vu  
> 05 Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy (Kevin Shields Remix)  
> 06 My First Earthquake - Mad Tight  
> 07 Laura Veirs - July Flame  
> 08 Foxy Brown - (Holy Matrimony) Letter to the Firm  
> 09 La Roux - Tigerlily  
> 10 Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You
> 
> Enjoy!

“Nat, for such a tiny apartment you sure have a lot of useless shit in here. What even is this?” Clint held up a pink and oblong bit of smooth plastic. “Trash or box?”

Natasha looked up from where she was stuffing clothes in a duffel. “That’s a vibrator,” she replied. “Just toss it anywhere, I’ll sort later.”

Clint pulled a face and dropped it in an open box. “Huh. I never would have guessed that. How does it—? You know what, nevermind.” He moved away from the dresser and over to the much safer territory of the bookshelf instead.

Natasha smiled to herself. “Honestly, how do you ever get women to sleep with you?”

“Hey, shut up. I am very good at sex.”

“With yourself?”

“…Maybe,” Clint sniffed after a pause and turned back to dumping books in a box every which way. 

She’d have a mess to sort out later, but with a day’s notice there wasn’t any time to be meticulous about packing. Besides, making sure Clint didn’t break her stuff or throw out anything too important occupied enough brainpower to keep her from being apprehensive about the move. Natasha hadn’t even seen her new apartment yet, but suspected anything she brought there would be woefully inadequate for the space and style. And then there was Pepper in close proximity, a factor she hadn’t necessarily considered to be problematic before meeting her again in the hospital. Originally, it seemed like a perk, but after a restless night thinking about Pepper’s regrets and long, slim legs Natasha decided maybe it would be more of a headache.

"I think the truck's here." Clint jerked a thumb toward the window. "We should probably hurry up."

"Hurry up?" Natasha raised her eyebrows at him and then looked around the room. "How can there still be so much stuff yet to be packed and we've already been at this since 5 AM?" she groaned.

"I'm fine with just throwing things out the window. Do you think the neighbors would mind? Maybe the top of that thing opens like a dumpster, you know?" Clint flapped his hands in imitation of doors opening. "I'm good at aiming."

"And how would we get it all out of the truck again? That is a terrible idea." Natasha had the urge to tear at her hair, but made do with swiping at the strands that had come free from her ponytail. "Just...here, start putting things in trash bags. Save the boxes for heavy stuff."

Clint looked dubious that this was somehow a better idea, but she didn't give him a chance to question before stuffing a bag in his hand. At least her (admittedly meager) kitchen items were already done, as was the bathroom and part of the living room. She could let the moving guys take care of the furniture so she and Clint could continue packing the rest of the clothes and books.

Natasha owned one small file cabinet, a little plastic thing that sat in the corner where she hardly touched it except once a year to file a copy of her lease and taxes. It was heavier than it looked and she figured putting the stuff inside into boxes would be easier than trying to carry it whole with the ill-fitting drawers and the crack in the side. She pulled out a drawer and started cramming papers into a nearby box until she came across a thin file tucked away in the back. The tab said SI and she knew _exactly_ what was in there and _exactly_ who didn't need to see it (hint: it was Clint). She glanced at Clint across the room and turned her back strategically to hide the file while she took a quick peek. Inside was an eight-by-eleven press photo of Pepper that had come with the SHIELD folder on Stark Industries for her Malibu job, the only piece she had kept for her personal files out of the entire packet. Natasha stuffed the folder under her shirt and hurried across the room to drop it in her purse. A childish move that made her embarrassed for herself, but at least Clint hadn't seen.

Fairly confident that there was nothing else of questionable content lying about, Natasha finished packing the rest of her files in record speed and moved on to directing the movers which things were ready to go. By the time they were completely packed and loaded up, Natasha was relatively sure that she was going to get rid of the photograph as soon as she had some time on her own. Probably.  
__

Pepper was already So Fucking Done with her cast after one day. The neck brace she could deal with, but the cast had her tripping over her own feet. The itching was _incredible_ , though partly that could have been a general crawling feeling all over her skin after she noticed that everywhere she tried to go Tony’s eyes were boring into her. If he didn’t stop hovering she was going to whack him with her crutches.

“Can you not?” Pepper snapped when Tony tried to grab her arm for the third time in an hour. “I’m perfectly capable of walking across the room without grievous injury to myself.”

Tony drew back quickly, and his reply was so unnaturally plain and honest that Pepper almost caved. “I’m just worried about you, Pep.”

“I know you are, but what you’re doing right now is bordering on smothering.” Almost caved. She was a little too irritated to let him continue on this weird little crusade for his own mental wellbeing or whatever. “I’m going down to my office to try and make something of this day before I go absolutely crazy.”

Pepper reached for her coffee, thought better of it, and stumped to the elevator. Tony, for once, kept his mouth shut and went about his business, though before the door closed she could see him side-eyeing her across the room. Pepper leaned against the wall as the elevator slide smoothly down eleven floors. " _God, why_ ," she sighed. Sometimes she wished she'd never given up smoking, because a cigarette sounded extremely good. Fifteen years later, she felt she shouldn't be having such cravings, but her nerves were so frayed from the attack and the team moving in and Tony that her body seemed to have temporarily forgotten that.

The doors slid open to reveal the cool quiet of her office space. It was Saturday, no one else was around, not even her workaholic new assistant. Good, she could finally have some peace. Without needing to put on a show, Pepper allowed herself to hobble very slowly along the hallway, stopping several times to rest her good leg. Upon finally reaching her desk, she all but fell into her big leather chair, legs and crutches akimbo. Did she really intend to work, or would a nap be a better choice? Pepper swiveled around and turned on her computer, leaning back comfortably, and turned off her phone. If Tony really needed her he could come down and find her rather than sending obnoxious texts all day.

Suddenly, Pepper was awakened by Jarvis talking out of her computer. "Miss Potts? Miss Potts, you have a call."

Pepper was still sitting upright, email inbox opened but completely untouched on her screen. She blinked several times, slightly disoriented from her mostly unplanned nap. "Um, yes." Her mouth felt like cotton, probably from the pain medicine they'd given her at the hospital to take home. "Who is it?"

"Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton would like to have access to their apartments."

Pepper squinted at her computer where a video feed of Clint and Natasha idling in the lower lobby had popped up. "Why can't Tony handle this?"

"Sir has gone out with Colonel Rhodes, Miss Potts."

More like Rhodey showed up uninvited and dragged him kicking and screaming out of the house. Pepper sighed. "Alright, I'll take care of it. Please tell them I'll be down with their key cards as soon as I can. Maybe fifteen minutes. Thank you, Jarvis."

A glance at the clock told her she had been asleep for almost an hour, and she didn't remember making a conscious decision to do so. Pepper decided to blame that on the pills as well. She reached for her crutches and hobbled back to the elevator, not in any great hurry, though the relief she felt at Natasha's arrival was unexpectedly strong. Of course, she would need the rest of the day to set up her apartment, but perhaps she wouldn't be averse to a little company later, with the ulterior motive of giving Pepper some mental relaxation.

Shuffling around in Tony's lab eventually revealed the shiny new key cards made for each of their new tenants. Each had a little symbol on it indicating which was which, and Pepper was pretty sure the symbols were from the set of kids' Avengers stickers Bruce had brought home one day when he went to the dollar store after smoking a joint. Not exactly subtle or tasteful; Pepper rolled her eyes. But they worked well enough, she supposed.

Downstairs, Pepper schooled her face into something more neutral than the pained frown she had been wearing out of the public eye and straightened her back into a more dignified posture as she crossed the lobby to where Natasha and Clint were waiting. Their backs were turned, which she was glad of, because she definitely tripped over her cast a little bit on the way.

“Clint, Natasha, hello,” Pepper greeted them. Both agents stood up instantly, matching surprise on their faces.

“Where’s Tony?” Clint asked. “Shouldn’t you be in bed or in a spa or something?”

Natasha stared at her searchingly, a slight frown on her petite features, but she kept quiet. Pepper tried not to make eye contact too long for surely the other woman would easily see how much pain she was trying to hide. “Tony isn’t here right now. And I’m fine, they said I was allowed to move around,” Pepper assured them.

“Just because you’re a wuss when you’re injured doesn’t mean the rest of us are, Clint,” Natasha sniped lightly.

Pepper pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. As her assistant, Natalie, Natasha had been all business, rarely showing any more character than polite interest in whatever they were discussing, which usually was business anyway. Now, when she had no cover to maintain, Pepper was starting to see the woman behind the spy. Pepper wasn’t sure what her exact relationship was with Clint, but Tony had mentioned that they had history.

Clint made a face at Natasha and shouldered his bags. “I’m not a wuss, you’re just a frickin’ robot.”

“Here are your keys.” Pepper handed over the appropriate cards. Natasha looked at the Black Widow sticker dubiously, but Clint chuckled at his. “Tony and Bruce decorated them for you. I’ll show you to your apartments, then you can have the movers bring your things up.”

“I’m good, this is all I’ve got,” Clint said. “But I can help Nat with her stuff.”

Pepper had already started back toward the elevator, so it was easy to hide her surprise. Two bags? Suddenly Pepper understood why Tony had invited these people to live in the tower, and it wasn’t just because he wanted friends. “Oh, will you be needing furniture, then?”

“Yep, but it’s not urgent. I got a pillow, I can floor it or sleep on Nat’s couch for a while,” Clint answered, seeming entirely unruffled by his lack of earthly possessions and proper bed.

“I’ll have a few catalogues sent to you so you can pick out some things you like,” Pepper replied kindly. At least Natasha seemed better off with her little moving van of furniture. What was SHIELD paying them? Certainly not enough for their type of work.

“Cool,” Clint chirped in reply.

The three of them loaded onto the elevator and Pepper guided them first to Clint’s floor. He dropped his bags and let out a whoop of excitement. “I’m gonna check all this out, see you guys later.” He paused for moment and pointed a finger at each of the women. “Shots?”

Pepper did laugh this time. “No, thank you. But I’m sure you could talk Tony into it when he gets back.”

Natasha just waved him off and followed Pepper back into the elevator, but waited until the door closed to speak. “He lived in a SHIELD dorm before this.”

Pepper thought carefully about how to respond and found she didn’t really know what to say. “I see.”

They fell into an awkward silence for the short time they spent in the elevator. Well, awkward on Pepper’s side at least. Natasha seemed perfectly relaxed.

“Here we are, this is your place,” Pepper told her when they arrived. 

Natasha opened the door with interest, peering around at the layout of the room. “This is very nice.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Pepper hobbled in behind her and leaned against the wall. She was getting tired again and some pain meds sounded really good. She closed her eyes for a moment only to open them and find Natasha standing right in front of her.

“Clint is right, you should be resting,” Natasha said mildly. “I think we can manage to get settled on our own.”

“Ugh,” was the only thing that came out of Pepper’s mouth at first. She blinked a few times to clear her head. “The pills they gave me are making me woozy. I actually fell asleep at my desk right before you arrived. I’ve never done that before.”

Natasha nodded. “Those drugs can do that. SHIELD doesn’t skimp on the strong stuff, fortunately. Clint has been hit in the head enough times that I know all the symptoms and side effects.”

“That’s…um,” Pepper again had trouble finding the right words.

“Don’t worry, he’s used to it,” Natasha supplied. “You shouldn’t think of us as a charity case, even if that’s what Tony thinks we are. We get by. Clint is especially bad at managing money and dodging punches, he’s had a rough life.”

“I didn’t—Oh, I—” Pepper was shocked at Natasha’s frankness. “I didn’t even know until a few minutes ago. No pity involved, I promise.”

“Good. We’re here because we want to be here, that’s all.” The slight edge to Natasha’s voice had softened and Pepper relaxed a bit. A small, strong hand clasped her elbow, firm but not enough to hurt. “Shall I help you back to your room?”

“No, I can manage,” Pepper replied, smiling. “I’ll be fine, it’s not far. Perhaps I’ll see you later?”

Natasha let go and nodded, crossing her arms. Pepper exhaled slowly once she was alone, everything swirling in her head without making much sense. She would sort out her feelings about all this when she could think straight again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I have no excuse for taking this long to get the next chapter up. But hey! I also spent some time rounding out the plot recently, so I think I may be able to update a little more consistently.
> 
> There is a fanmix that goes with this chapter, which is here on 8tracks: [Express Booty Delivery](http://8tracks.com/owlpockets/express-booty-delivery). No excuses for that either.

Pepper had an uncomfortably acute awareness of how bad she was at dancing, but that was not going to stop her from trying. Especially now that the neck brace and cast were off and she was free to move as she pleased, within reason. Her physical therapist hadn’t discouraged her from dancing as a way to loosen up muscles tight and unyielding from a month of disuse. He hadn’t exactly _encouraged_ her either, but Pepper wasn’t planning on doing any headstands here.

Jarvis had queued up a video playlist of her favorite Beyonce tracks, and Pepper was just getting into to the beat, flipping her unbound hair back and forth, when she noticed a shadow near the elevator door. Pepper whipped around and screamed, grabbing a lamp with both hands and holding it up.

“Auugh,” Clint cringed back and made a face at her. Clint Barton. Her neighbor, not an assassin. Well, her neighbor who was an assassin, but not the kind Pepper was particularly worried about.

“JESUS, CLINT,” Pepper shouted at him. “I almost hit you in the head! Jarvis, why didn’t you tell me he was here?!”

“I am as surprised as you, Miss Potts.” Pepper could have sworn the AI sounded as shaken as she felt.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. I was going to sneak up on you for a laugh, but I guess that was a bad idea.” Clint looked genuinely apologetic, and held up both hands in surrender.

Pepper’s heart was hammering in her chest and her neck started up a dull throb. “It’s…it’s fine. I’m just jumpy ever since the accident. I need to sit down.” She reached for the couch and lowered herself slowly, careful not to jostle anything more than necessary.

“Do you want some water? Or whiskey?” Clint sat across from her, not too close, for which Pepper was grateful. She needed the space.

“No, thank you. I’ll be fine in a minute.”

“Don’t breathe so deeply, it’ll just make it worse,” Clint said. He shut up when Pepper glared across the coffee table, and they fell into an awkward silence for several minutes.

After that incident, Pepper thought maybe she ought to re-evaluate her mental state. There wasn’t much that didn’t startle her these days, even before the Hulk incident. Perhaps she wasn’t dealing with all this superhero business as well as she thought.

“So…uh…” Clint shifted in his seat and scratched his stubble. “You like dancing, huh?”

“Yes,” Pepper answered, staring at him pointedly. “But only when I think I’m alone.”

“…Right.” Clint looked appropriately cowed. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Pepper highly doubted that; she had heard rumors that Clint was the biggest gossip in all of SHIELD. A high-level intelligence agent that gossiped like a bored housewife seemed like a complete contradiction, which left her with a grain of doubt. “Were you looking for Tony? I’m afraid he’s been preoccupied with finding Bruce lately.”

“Yeah, I figured. Thought I’d try anyway, since Nat’s been busy. There’s only so many times I can rearrange my living room. Thanks again for the furniture, by the way.” Clint sighed. “And Steve is kind of a stick in the mud, to be honest. Art museums are not really my thing, and forget about keeping up with him on the court. Maybe if I had a jetpack.”

“Aw, don’t you have any other friends to call?” Pepper felt a little sorry for Clint, especially since he and Tony seemed to get along so well. She would be having Words with Tony about neglecting his social obligations again, not that it would matter. It never did. In fact, Pepper had been counting on him at a recent business dinner and he never showed.

“Eh, they’re mostly all dead.” Clint shrugged. “Perks of being in SHIELD for too long.”

Now it was Pepper’s turn to shift awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to get Tony out of the lab, but I can’t guarantee anything. He’s obsessed.”

Clint nodded and stood up to leave. “Bruce will come back when he wants to. That guy is not exactly a novice at staying off the grid.”

“Trying to get Tony to understand that is liking arguing with a brick wall.” Pepper had tried, Natasha had tried, Steve had tried. Eventually, she gave up, knowing how betrayed he must have felt when Bruce didn’t even leave a note to apologize. Pepper could certainly sympathize; she felt much the same, after they had done so much to help him feel welcome and wanted.

“Well, sorry for interrupting your dance-a-thon and…uhh…giving you a heart attack. I promise it won’t happen again.” Clint smiled and headed back to the elevator. He stopped and turned back, an unusually thoughtful expression on his face. “Oh, by the way, did you know Natasha is a dancer? Just thought I’d mention it. See ya, Pepper.”

“Bye.” Why would he tell her that? Pepper frowned and clicked her videos back on, putting the thought of Natasha dancing on to simmer in the back of her mind.

“Jarvis, lockdown the elevator, I don’t want to be interrupted again.” Pepper rolled her shoulders back several times, feeling some of the tension of the surprise visit leave her.

“Yes, Miss Potts. Though, I admit that it may not stop Agent Barton, as I am unsure of how he was able to bypass all my security parameters.”

“We’ll worry about that later.”

Pepper had was feeling more wired than relaxed by the time she finished her workout. She picked up her water bottle and sipped while she looked out the window down onto the city below. New York wasn’t her favorite place in the world, being a California girl at heart, and lately it seemed more stifling than usual. Being high up above the bustle helped, but she certainly couldn’t stay cloistered in this tower like Rapunzel waiting for her frequently self-involved boyfriend to rescue her. No, it was time for a change of scenery, and checking up on west coast operations in her official capacity was a perfect excuse to get some sun. Pepper wondered idly if Natasha would like another trip to Malibu, if she wasn’t too busy. She seemed to enjoy the time she spent there before.

Pepper picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she came to her masseuse. She made a home visit for two that evening and slipped in a generous enough tip that she would be sure to bring her hottest assistant. After a brief hesitation, she texted Natasha. _Ladies night massage, my place, 7?_

Pepper wasn’t sure whether to expect an answer or not, so she set her phone down and went about her business of showering, putting on fresh clothes, and throwing together a salad for her lunch. Natasha appeared to not be as busy as Clint claimed, because she texted back, _I’ll be there_ , within the hour.

By the time seven rolled around, Pepper had some champagne chilling and a little plate of chocolate truffles set out on the bar. The masseuses had arrived a few minutes before and were setting up near the window. Pepper thoroughly approved of the assistant that came along, a Scandinavian twenty-something with a sweet smile and great muscle definition, though not enough to be intimidating.

The elevator pinged lightly and Natasha appeared wearing a truly ugly black and white tracksuit and holding a bag of gourmet popcorn and a pink towel tucked under her arm. Pepper greeted her and couldn’t help a cautious look up and down. “Umm…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in casual wear before,” she said diplomatically.

Natasha laughed a little and handed over the popcorn for Pepper to put into a bowl. “To be honest, I only bought this to freak out Clint. He’s been very distressed about it for months. It makes me happy.”

“Dare I ask why?” Pepper popped the champagne and poured two delicate glasses. She handed one to Natasha and sipped her own, genuinely curious as to what twisted games secret agents play for kicks.

“He has some sort of recurring problem with some Eastern European tracksuit mafia outside of SHIELD…I don’t know. Call him bro sometime and see what happens, I guarantee it’s hysterical.” Natasha had a bit of a devilish smile on her lips as she took a drink of her champagne. Her green eyes sparkled as she leaned on the bar and Pepper unexpectedly felt that look all the way in her panties. Oh, maybe this was a bad idea.

“I will do that,” Pepper snickered. It was almost a giggle, but she managed to curb it. “So can we be extra decadent and stuff our faces while we watch the sunset and have our massages?”

“Perfect. It’s been a tedious week, I could use some relaxation time…and candy.” Natasha shot a very obvious glance over at the assistant and picked up a truffle, biting it in half. “Also, a lot more of these, if you have more. They are amazing. Belgian?”

“Yep. The perks of being a superhero, I suppose—you can eat as much chocolate as you want,” Pepper commented as she pulled the whole box out. “If I want to participate in bikini season those things are the devil.”

“I don’t wear bikinis.” Natasha grabbed a second one after washing down the first with more champagne. Instead of going in her mouth, the second chocolate was brandished tantalizingly in Pepper’s direction. “You have nothing to worry about even with a few hundred extra chocolates on your hips.” 

Pepper made a dubious face, but took the candy. “Let’s get changed, yes? You can have the big bathroom, it’s that way.”

Natasha nodded and headed for the bathroom with her pink towel. Pepper trailed off to the bedroom, toting her champagne because it was so good she couldn’t bear to be parted from it for even a second. Also, she was getting the impression she would need some liquid courage if she really was going to ask Natasha to go on vacation with her.

Natasha was already sitting on one of the massage tables with the bowl of popcorn by the time Pepper returned. Natasha’s pink towel was wrapped around her tightly, hugging her substantial curves in attractive ways. Her hair was pulled up into a messy mass at the back of her head, a few stray waves escaping to curl around her delicate neck. Natasha was a rather small woman, but her persona made her seem so mysteriously larger than life. 

“Have I told you how incredible the view from this building is?” Natasha asked as they were both settling in for their massages. “I’m enjoying my new apartment very much.”

“I’m glad. If there’s anything else you need for it, don’t hesitate to ask.” Pepper turned her head to face the window, sighing as her masseuse dug into the knotted muscles in her lower back.

“The benefits of having insanely rich friends,” Natasha said with a light chuckle. “Are you going to become my sugar mama now?”

“If you like that sort of thing,” Pepper laughed in return.

Natasha sounded lazy and was slow to answer. Clearly she was starting to enjoy the evening, which made Pepper extremely pleased with herself. “I might….”

They lapsed into quiet companionship, both gazing out the window with hooded eyes, zoned out enough that idle speech was unnecessary. By the time the massages were over a half an hour later, Pepper was nearly asleep, daydreaming about sunsets on the private Malibu beach with Natasha and a giant margarita. At the point where she was leaning in for a kiss, Pepper shook herself out of it, a little startled that her drifting mind had gone that far. She looked up and Natasha was propped up on her elbows, watching her with one eyebrow cocked curiously.

“I think I must have fallen asleep for a few minutes,” Pepper said quickly, feeling strangely disoriented and hoping she wasn’t blushing. “Was I out long?”

“No.” Natasha put a handful of popcorn in her mouth and pushed the bowl over toward Pepper. “You must have been having a nice dream.”

“Um…I don’t remember,” Pepper lied. “Did you enjoy your massage?”

“Very much, thank you. We should do this again sometimes. Even if we can’t take real vacations we can at least have ladies’ nights to look forward to.”

“Actually…” Pepper started, considering how to phrase what she was about to ask that wouldn’t sound too blatantly desperate for an escape. “I was thinking of taking a week or two in Malibu soon, and anyone is welcome to come along. I would have to work, but….”

“I’ll think about it. SHIELD is not good about planned vacations, but it would be nice to get out of New York for a while after everything that’s happened,” Natasha answered, thoughtful.

Pepper smiled, hopeful. “Let me know, I can be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Private jet.”

“Ooh, you are the best, Sugar Mama. Good thing I always have a bag packed.”

__

Pepper woke the next morning to find a bootleg CD with a yellow sticky note tacked onto the case next to her espresso machine. The note said in nearly illegible handwriting, _Some of my favorites when I feel like dancing ~Clint_. Written on the CD itself in black Sharpie, _Express Booty Delivery._ “…Jarvis,” Pepper said.

“I regret to say that I am still unable to determine how Agent Barton entered the room, Miss Potts,” came the answer in a slightly guilty tone.

Pepper sighed and rubbed her temples while she waited for her espresso to be ready. “If I find out you’re _letting_ him in….”

“I assure you that I am doing my best, Miss Potts.” Jarvis was getting snippy. “Would you like to play the disc?”

A rarely used CD tray popped out of a discreet panel in the wall. Pepper stared at it, wondering why Tony had bothered to install such things. Probably for instances like this, she figured. Well, why not? Clint obviously spent time compiling a playlist he thought she would like and that was rather sweet, if misguided on outdated technology. “There are seventeen tracks on the disc, would you like to hear them in the intended order?”

“Sure, fine.” Pepper picked up her cup of espresso and sat down at the table to look at the financial news on her tablet. The opening notes of Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls filled the room and Pepper instantly regretted playing along as the mental image of Clint Barton shaking his rump in the mirror to this song exploded in her brain.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Moving Day- What? (Inspired by a scene from owlpockets' Déjà Vu)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/868407) by [ImaginAries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaginAries/pseuds/ImaginAries)
  * [Artwork for owlpockets's story Déjà vu](https://archiveofourown.org/works/888131) by [LePeru (Nizah)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nizah/pseuds/LePeru)




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